When Pretty Lights posts one of his signature blends of cosmic poetry and whimsical word-salad on social media, the ‘PL Fam’ scrambles to decode it.Yesterday’s message revealed exactly what fans have spent a decade hoping to hear.
Ad 0:00 Click for sound 0:00 / 0:00 The iconic producer, whose real name is Derek Vincent Smith, is releasing his first album since 2013’s seminal A Color Map of the Sun.Titled A Trip Thru Time Fantastic, the project will unfold across “9 shimmering constellations of sound over time,” according to the announcement.
In less swirly terms, that’s nine installments comprising a staggering 45 songs, the first 15 of which are available now.Smith, who recently became a father, reflected on the personal milestones that helped shape the long-awaited album.
“I built a home with the love of my life, found a spiritual path, reunited with my eternal soul brother Michal Menert, formed an AV ensemble to power a traveling laboratory, and been blessed with the most beautiful experience of my life… meeting my son Ayahn,” he wrote.For years, Smith maintained that he had little interest in making another traditional Pretty Lights album after A Color Map of the Sun.
Instead, the project’s inimitable energy flowed into intricate live shows, which functioned as sprawling improvisational performances backed by expansive audiovisual production.A Trip Thru Time Fantastic feels like the natural culmination of that chapter, transforming years of experimentation into a definitive studio release.
Smith’s announcement also ushers in a new era for the live project and its evolving band.He revealed that the “Soundship Spacesystem” has been completely reimagined with an overhauled production and a newly expanded creative team.
The news follows the recent departure of longtime lighting and production designer, Lazer Shark, who stepped away from the project after 17 ...